Canterbury’s health system needs us. In fact, it needs you too.

At some point, we will all find ourselves or those we love needing support from our health system. We want that system, and your experience, to be world-class.

To achieve that we need you – our community.

Health systems around the globe are under pressure. There will never be enough public funds to do everything we need or want, meanwhile advances in health care create a growing wish-list.

To have a world-class health system, we need to bring our community together to provide the extra support our health system needs.

In Canterbury, we have unique challenges to face. An older population than the rest of New Zealand, a large geographical spread, and a community that’s faced more than a decade of external events that have tested us all.

It’s time for us to be bold, to stand up for the health of our community and our future. It’s time for innovative thinking about health funding.

Māia offers a fresh, charitable approach to improving the experience of those using our health system. And our community has joined us.

So far, we have worked with our community to raise over $12 million and have aligned these funds with historical gifts given to the Canterbury health system to enable greater impact.

These funds have gone towards major projects, such as a future-proofed rooftop helipad for Waipapa Christchurch Hospital and multi-million-dollar improvements to the children's facilities there. We have also funded a vast range of smaller projects within our health system – and while these projects may be smaller, the difference they’ve made to the lives of everyday Kiwis is huge. Read about the impact we've made here.

Our current major project is to raise $6 million to provide a new, fit-for-purpose outpatient facility for Child and Youth Mental Health. Sadly, the demand for our mental health services has never been greater and the need for this facility has never been more pressing.

Thanks to Māia – and you – we can make it happen.

Our people-centered health system in Canterbury is admired on the international stage for its accessibility and collaborative approach. But we want more. We want world-class.

However, we know there will never be enough funding to get everything we want.  The system is under pressure, now more than ever.

Your gift to Māia helps us sustain our innovative, successful health system, giving targeted support to the facilities and services that need it the most. We’re taking it from good to great.

We need you to be the difference.

Because if not now, then when?

Shouldn’t the Government fund all of this?

There will never be enough public funding to do everything we need to do in health. Māia Health Foundation offers an innovative, community-led approach to ensure our community today and in the future has truly world-class health services and facilities.

Why now?

Our health system has never been under more pressure. Our population is increasing, while at the same time aging. Our community here in Canterbury has seen more than a decade of challenges that are having an enduring impact. Meanwhile, the cost of providing healthcare continues to rise as does the demand – particularly in mental health. And then, of course, there is the aftermath of the pandemic.

The challenges are real, and they are here now. That’s why Māia has stepped up to be part of the solution.

Why these projects?

Māia works closely with our health sector partners to identify the real and relevant challenges facing our community and our health system. We then identify those projects that will have the greatest impact.

Currently, Māia’s major project is to ensure our children and young people have a welcoming, fit-for-purpose mental health outpatient facility, with specialist equipment and purpose-designed spaces to support our young people back to health. We need $6 million to make this project a reality – and we’re more than halfway there.

Alongside our major projects, Māia continues to raise funds for smaller projects across our health system that we know will provide significant benefits to our community now and into the future.

Where does my money go? Can I choose the project?

When you donate to Māia, you are in control of the difference your gift makes. Whether you want your funds to go to our major project, or to select a particular department or service to support, Māia is the charitable partner to ensure your gift is respected and your wishes honoured.